Ron Hood is a surfing convert. The 38-year-old personal trainer paddled out to the waves on the Oregon coast on a rented board for the first time a few weekends ago, and now he's got his own board picked out.
"It was an absolute blast," said Hood, a Seattle resident. "I loved it."
Hood has Wave Hounds, Seattle's newest surf shop, to thank for his newfound passion. Not only did co-owner Todd Welter rent Hood his board and wetsuit, he went with Hood down to Oregon's Short Sands beach to give him his first lesson. When it comes to the good spots surfers can be territorial, but like any sensible business owner, Welter wants to encourage people to try his product.
"[Todd's] passionate about what he does, so it's easy to catch his enthusiasm," Hood said.
Life on the water
Wave Hounds, on Aurora Avenue North at North 41st Street, just a few blocks from downtown Fremont, opened in late July. Welter, 32, runs the store with his wife and business partner, Nadia, also 32.
"My mom didn't want me to turn out this way," said Welter, who's been surfing since he was a teenager living in Lincoln City, Ore.
Welter has been around surfing most of his life. When he was 13, he worked for a Lincoln City surf shop, flagging down cars while dressed in a gorilla suit. And even when he was working as a produce clerk, he went surfing on his lunch breaks.
"When people asked me what I had for lunch, I said three barrels [tube-shaped waves], plus more waves," Welter recalled.
Before opening Wave Hounds, Welter worked for about two years for Cheka-Looka, a surf shop on Eastlake Avenue. He left in 2004 and decided to open his own store.
"[You] want to build your own castle, as opposed to someone else's," he explained.
To raise start-up capital, Welter worked for three months on an Alaskan cod-fishing boat, or as he calls it, "a floating gulag."
A fast-growing sport
On the hot, dry concrete of Aurora Avenue, a surf shop seems out of place. But having a shop on Lake Union or Elliott Bay wouldn't be any better, since the closest surfing is a couple of hours away by car.
"You have to drive to surf," Welter said, "so it doesn't make sense to pay more rent."
Welter also points out that Fremont has a high surfer population. "I couldn't have dreamed of picking it better," he said of the location.
Welter sees people of all ability levels in his shop. Some are "hard-core," some are learning "after the kids are out of the house." Some go year-round, while others take the winters off.
And it's not just for men - Welter said that women are the fastest-growing market in the surfing business.
"By no means is it an exclusive sport," he said.
Welter also draws a distinction between "gear-heads" - people who pursue equipment-heavy activities like kiteboarding and boating - and those who go for surfing, which only requires a board and wetsuit.
"Surfing's probably the faster-growing water sport in Washington. Not everybody can afford a boat," he said. "Surfing is a very 'common man' sport."
An investment
Surfing was referred to as "the sport of kings" throughout its early history because it was practiced mainly by the Hawaiian ruling class. While not restricted to royalty, it still does require an initial investment.
At Wave Hounds, a new surfboard starts around $349, and some boards are more than twice that. A wetsuit - essential in the colder Pacific Northwest waters - costs about $300. And that doesn't include the time and money that it takes to travel to the Washington or Oregon coasts.
But for those who aren't sure if they want to commit, Wave Hounds rents equipment at substantially lower prices. For about $50, novice surfers can outfit themselves with a foam beginner's board and a wetsuit for a whole weekend. The shop also sells used surfboards, some less than $100, a good option for those willing to patch up a few dings.
Local surfing
It's natural to question whether surfing is the right sport for the Pacific Northwest, with its rain and fickle weather. But Welter said that with good wetsuits - which have become less rigid and allow more mobility than they did a decade ago - surfers can stay warm and have a lot of fun.
He generally sends people to Oregon rather than to the Washington coast. Forests and mountains tend to block access to Washington's beaches, he explained.
But once you get there, La Push and Westport offer good surfing. "Some people dream of warm water, trips to exotic places," Welter said, "but in general, surfers can be very content here in the Pacific Northwest."
For more information about Wave Hounds, 4033 Aurora Ave. N., go to www.wavehoundssurf.com.
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